Sunday, September 30, 2007

The controversy surrounding the VK Lingam video will soon be a top earner at the box-office.Anwar Ibrahim has promised a second part or, in cinematic term, the sequel.

Is Anwar throwing cautions to the wind by openly implicating the Chief Justice, Ahmad Fairuz as the person at the other end of the line. In a forum held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur on the 29th Sept attended by 250 odd crowd, Anwar promised a second part of the clip. In the forum titled 'From Nurin to Chief Justice:A collapse of law and order' he said he would like to see Ahmad Fairuz, who had vehemently denied any involvement, defend himself at the trail.Is there going to be a trail ? How can he be so sure it was Ahmad Fairuz.Has he ever considered, no matter how remote it is, the possibility that the video conversation could have been VK Lingam's play acting to show how influential he is, to impress certain people.

The snake in the grass, whoever he was, probably realized the value of the spurious video to the opposition to gain political mileage. Why was the man in a slumber for so long before waking up and found the good fortune the video would bring him ? Why didn't the video surface during the last general election ?

Another angle that Anwar may be, too blinded to look at, is the possibility that the whole thing was staged by people with an axe to grind with the Chief Justice or to embarrass Badawi's government.

Fabrication and lies are not unknown in politics. The recent doctored picture of Najib, which unashamedly, was the handiwork of his man, Chief Information Officer of PKR, Tian Chua was a disgraceful attempt to mislead the people. Anwar seems to condone and encourage this kind of unconscionable action within his party. Whether Najib is guilty or not is not the point, the point is why stooped so low to try gain political mileage.What kind of message are you sending to the people ? Can you form an honest government when you are prepared to use underhand tactics.

Nobody would really know whether the man was Ahmad Fairuz, unless the case goes to court after investigation. Is it fair to accuse the man without substantive evidence ? I thought the law in this country says "You are innocent until proven guilty".

Do you think the people would believe him after the 'Najib' incident ? This could be just another ploy to discredit the government.Surprisingly, the law fraternity, presumably inspired by their learned friends in Pakistan, had without any hesitation, decided to join in the circus and marched from the Palace of Justice to the Prime Minister's office to submit a memorandum. Like Anwar, have they decided that Fairuz is guilty ?. Do you really need 2000 lawyers to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister ? Are they showing the way to the people how to conduct demonstration, protest march and civil disobedience ?

The authenticity of the video seems doubtful.The sound is much too clear to be picked up by cellular phone microphone. The man, VK Lingam, if that was him, was using a cellphone and moving about all the time, but surprisingly the voice is still crisp, without any distortion whatsoever, making it more like a voice-over and dubbing work.

Has Anwar and PKR reached a bridge that's difficult to cross to continue their journey to the seats of government. The general consensus is that PKR might not do well in this coming election and are desperately in need of a new formula to boost its popularity.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

You wouldn't believe it, how stupid this man is.Was he joking ? His facial expression didn't show he was. This is the man who run the most powerful nation on planet Earth.This man is intellectually deficient, as I have stated in my article 'A Message For Mr Bush'. His knowledge on foreign affairs sucks. His foreign affair policy.....war...war and war !

Has America ever won a war ? The answer is no.

The American helped to stop the 2nd World War by dropping the atomic bombs on civilian population in Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing hundreds of thousand innocent Japanese civilians.They never won the war through conventional warfare. In the Korean War, they managed to split the country into two.They lost the Vietnam War after over a decade of fighting that killed over a million Vietnamese and ravaged the country.

They can never win the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is almost five years now, are Iraq and Afghanistan safer now than before ? Has America brought peace to these two countries ?

Ask, George Bush. He would tell you he had won the war and sent the terrorists to oblivion.

There are multitude of dangers in the city.Do you know you can die in numerous ways in the city, from being robbed and killed in your own home to being run over by a car to being mugged and killed on the streets. You read horror stories of rape, robbery, kidnapping and murder almost every day in the newspapers. You can also die from man made and natural calamities, road rage, pollution, poisoning, fire, earthquake and hosts of other hazard that probably never crossed your mind.

Recently, the whole nation was in a state of shock and anger by the rape and murder of an innocent young girl, eight-year old Nurin.She went missing for almost a month and was later found dead, her body stuffed in a bag.She was kept by her perpetrator for almost a month, probably tortured, repeatedly rape and finally killed. Few years ago was the case of Canny Ong, abducted,raped and killed. Than, there was the high profile murder case of Noritta Shamsudin, a girl who reputedly lived in the fast lane, killed in her own apartment.Her case still remains unsolved.

The criminals are getting bolder and more ruthless. Bank robberies in Peninsula Malaysia are common occurrences, even the homes of ex IGPs were not spared, they have no fear at all that the occupants have firearms.These hardcore criminals had no fear of the law.They are prepared to kill or be killed

The highest possible way you can die in the city is in road accidents.Malaysia has one of the highest road fatalities in the world.In 2003, we have the highest road fatalities amongst the OECD countries. In that year, Malaysia had 6,286 fatalities and per capita death rate of 26.75 out of a population of 24 million, Japan, on the other hand, had 8,877 fatalities and per capita death of6.97 out of 127 millions people.Last year, we had 6,287 deaths with per capita death of 23.5. Not much of an improvement, taking into consideration more and better roads had been built.

Malaysians are one of the worst drivers in the world, discourteous, impulsive and reckless. Your chance ofyou getting knock down while crossing a street in the city is pretty high.The third world mentality are still verymuch entrenched inthe minds of many Malaysians.The so-called friendly and caring Malaysian become a wild beast once he is behind the wheel. Queue-jumping and jumping the red light are common occurrences.Overtaking using the road shoulder or layby are very common whenroads are congested. Equally annoying are misplaced courtesy of many motorists in this country had by giving way to these road offenders.My experience on British and American highways were completely different, if you jumped the queue, no one will give way to you till the cows come home, you probably learnt a lesson too late and believe me, you wouldn’t want to do it again for the rest of your life.Malaysians should take a leaf from the this type of driving culture.

Living in the city can be an urban nightmare.You must develop an attitude to urban life that will help you cope with all kinds of situations.The daily stress of driving on choked highways and looking for a place to park your car can be exasperating.Family and financial problems can have a disastrous outcome for those incapable of coping with stress.There are many stress-inducing factors in the city.Attack or robbery, fear if illness, fear of losing employment, financial constraint and many more can all prey on the mind. Money, unfortunately, is most vital for urban survival, without money, staying in the city is next to impossible.In a big city like Kuala Lumpur earning less than RM3,000. per month would probably mean your are living below the urban poverty line.

Kuala Lumpur, togetherwith its satellite towns and suburbs, has about 3 millions people, not a huge metropolis, but have many inherent problems. The gleaming skyscrapers that adorned the skyline, the beautiful looking highways and flyovers are all false facade.The city has one of the worst traffic management system for any modern city.The public transport system is equally horrendous.Flagging down a taxi during peak hours is a game of chance.If it stops to pick you up, the driver decides where he would like to go.If you are lucky, he agrees to take you, you would soon realize, you arenot so lucky after all, the fare he demandswould be so exorbitantly high, you would very much like to land a punch on him.At this time of the day, the meter is obsolete, the cab driver is king.

During peak hours, at certain locations, policemen are deployed to direct traffic, taking over the job of the antiquated traffic lights.In heavy downpour, flash flood in low laying areas can happened within the hour and immobilize traffic to a standstill.Infrastructure developmenthas not kept pace with the proliferation of motorized vehicle. Tempers can run high on choked highways and are recipes for road rages.

Malaysia can learn a lesson or two from Singapore how to make a city functional.In Singapore all traffic lights have intelligence sensors, it can automatically adjusts, to regulate the traffic flow according to demand.It can adjusts to give more time to the direction with the greatest demand. In Kuala Lumpur, traffic light once installed are left to its own devices.

In Kuala Lumpur, driving alone at night on a lonely stretch of road has its risks.If you are somehow unlucky , you may encounter the Malaysian version ofthe ‘Hell Angels” called the ‘Mat Rempits’, mostly Malay boys with nocturnal habits and obnoxious personality, riding those noisy little Japanese bikes, invariably looked down upon by their richer cousins on the Harleys.These are the road maniacs of Kuala Lumpur, the kamikaze riders who are prepared to risk their lives for the price of a pittance and a sexual trophy. The later probably gave them the adrenalin to risk their lives.

For many people the greatest threat in the urban jungle is that of violence. Mugging, snatch thieve and other violent crimes have increased considerably in recent years.People are less prepared to go to help others in trouble.There were cases where good Samaritans had been killed while helping those under attack. There is no point risking your life if you can’t really help.

In April 2003, at Kota Kinabalu, a 12-year old boy was stabbed to death in a crowded place in broad daylight and nobody came to his rescue in spite of his cries for help.On Wednesday 19th Sept 200, a woman in Wangsa Maju was abducted from her house by unidentified men armed with knives.Her fate is not known yet.On 20th Sept at Kajang, a Datuk and his family were robbed by ten men armed with parang after overpowering two security guards.They escaped with RM1 million in cash and valuables. On 24th Sept, at Kepong, two women were raped and murdered in their own apartment. Few years back a man was waylaid in the carpark of his upmarket apartment, bundled into his car, driven to a remote area and dumped, the criminals went back to his apartment, gained entrance with his house keys, robbed and gang rape the wife.Crime statistic shows average of 6 rapes a day in Malaysia.

Fear is an element that can cause high mental stresses.It is not something to be ashamed of, as long as we do not lose control of reality.Fear can even be an asset.It can make you wary and more alert at home or on the streets.It can give you a presence of mind in an emergency situation.Fear can also built up the adrenalin rush in your body, giving you that superman’s feats, doing things that seems impossible when you are at ease.It is important that you areable to differentiate fear from panic.Never let your fear turned to panic.Panic will make you act irrationally and in all likely hood endanger yourself and your family.

In a life-threatening situation don’t make yourself vulnerable.Use your common sense.Don’t try to be a hero if you don’t have the upper hand.Those who makes crime their profession are less dangerous than the amateur and the opportunist.The amateurs are more likely to do grievous hurtor kill you if they panic.Any criminal that show sign of nervousness and panic should definitely be handled with care.

There are many ways we can insulate ourselves and reduce the chances ofbeing victim of violence. Below are a few tips I would like to share with my readers.

AT HOME

The first place to make safe and secure are our homes.

1.Make sure all windows and doorsare secured against intruder.If you can afford it, installed burglar alarm. They are getting cheaper, more sophisticated and more reliable.If you are staying in a house, keeping dogs would be an added protection.Dogs are the first line of defence, their barking will alert you that an intruder may benearby.Dogs need to be schooled for obedience training, otherwise you may upset your neighbours,if your dogs bark incessantly.If you have a big compound, it is advisable to keep more than one dog.Most Malays don’t keep dogs, it’s more culture than religion.Islam do not forbids Muslims from keeping dogs.Only the dog’s saliva is considered unhygienic.

2.Iron-grilled windowsdo not guarantee to keep intruders out but they can be a hazard to the occupants anda fire-trap in the event of a fire. They are also not exactly burglar-proof.The materials used are mostly mild steel bar and plates and can easily snap under pressure.Some buglers used a small hydraulic jack to break the welded joint.It’s fast and noiseless.

3.Burglars biggest enemy are noise and bright light.Most people tend to switch-off their porch and garden lights at night to save electricity.This could be penny wise and pound foolish.A bright situation could deter would be buglers.Used energy-saving bulbs to bring down your power bills.Darkness is burglar’s best friend, if you can afford it,don’t tempt them.

4.If your house is broken into while you and your family are at home, don’t panic or try to apprehend the burglar.Most burglars and robbers come to steal your money and valuables, not to kill you.Stay calm and give them whatever they wanted.Better losing you money and valuables than losing your life or member of your family.Never presume that you see only one burglar and you think he is alone, he may have some friends somewhere in the house or outside.If you have young daughters, ifit is possible, ask them to cover up with a bed sheet or blanket and to avoid eyes contact with the burglars.It will not guarantee to stop rape but it would reduce the chances as compared to, ifthey are fully exposed.

5.If a stranger call at your house, do not open your gate to let him intoyour compound, go out and speak to him over the gate.If he insisted of coming in under the pretext of coming to inspect something, call the police immediately.Locked your doors and stay in the house until the police arrive.If you are in an apartment always keep the safety chain on and speak through the gap.Never let any stranger in, if you are alone in the apartment.

6.Young children should always be taught not to talk to strangers.Children should also be taught not to follow anyone, including relatives and friends, unless specifically allowed by the parents.Those going to school on a school bus must be back as usual.If your child missed coming home and you don’t know where he is, lodge an immediate report at the nearest police station.Always monitor your child movement at home and when they are outby themselves or out with you.There were cases where children had disappeared from shopping complex due to negligence of parents.Never leave your child unattended in the car, even for a few seconds.Never let your child to go out on their own.

7.Fire, can be your friend or worst enemy.Many house fire are started by carelessness and negligence.Never leave an open flame unattended in the kitchen or elsewhere in the house. The smallest candle can become a monstrous fire.It is good practice to keep some fire extinguishers in the house.To avoid electrical fire, never overload your power points, learn to keep the wattage within the allowed limit and always switch off any appliances not in use.If you are going for a long holiday it is good practice to switch offthe main power supply to your TV,video,computer,etc and only keep on the essential one for your refrigerator, freezers and burglar alarm.

8.Keep away all medicine, drugs and poisonous chemical away from children, store them in a place where children can’t reach them.Discard unused medicine.

ON THE ROAD

9.Always check your car for the basic operational and safety requirement, brakes, clutch, tyre and tyre pressure, lights, lubricant, fuel and water in the radiator/windscreen washer.These are basic requirement that will decide whether your car will keep you alive or kill you on the road.

10.Always respect the highway codes.Never jump queue or the red light.Never drive under influence of alcohol.Learn defensive driving skill.Try to be courteous to other road users.Be helpful and give way to those in a tight situation even though it is your right of way.

11.Don’t be a road bully.Likewise, don’t be victim to road bully.If you are caught in an ugly situation, leave the scene as quickly as possible.If you are being pursued, drive to the nearest police station.Always try to remember or jot down the registration number of the car and give it to the police.

12.Always lock all your doors while in the car.If you think you are in imminent danger while waiting at a traffic light, drive away if the course is clear. It is better to pay a fine than being abducted and killed.Stick to the route you know best, especially at night, and do not drive alone on lonely and unfamiliar road.

13.Park your car in an area where there are likely to be more people around.Avoid basement car park in shopping complexes at night. Some can be very deserted after 7 p.m and a potential criminals hunting ground.

14.Never leave your house address, telephone number and house keys in your car.Put all items like laptop, camera , bag, etc in the booth of you car.

ON THE STREET

15.Don’t walk through narrow and lonely lane at night even if it can shorten the journey to your destination.

16.Take the route that you know best or which you think is the safest.

17.Keep an eye on your children if they are with you, don’t let them wander away.

18.Don’t be easily taken in by touts.There are all kinds, hanging around the streets and shops, peddling their wares.Ignore them and tell the persistent ones in no uncertain term, that you will report them to the police if they continue to disturb you.

19.Unless you have to, avoid very crowded place.This is where pickpockets and snatch thieves hang around.You can also lose track of your children in a melee.

20.Lastly, whatever you do, be it shopping, eating and entertainment always be street smart, don’t let greedtake over your common sense.

Most of us are creature of habits and take a lot of things for granted.We only blame ourselves after something untoward happened and the damage done.You are what you think you are and you will achieve what you think you will. Your safety and that of your family is your responsibility.Take whatever precautions necessary to protect them.

Friday, September 21, 2007

I first saw this video on Anwar Ibrahim's website.I posted a comment as shown below.

"How do you know the person at the other end of the line was Tun Ahmad Fairuz ? You can only hear the voice and video of VK Lingam.

Isn't it against the law to bug or tape somebody's conversation without the person knowledge and consent, I am not sure, maybe, someone can enlighten me.

Someone appeared to be holding the camera in the initial stage and by now Lingam would know who the person is,unless he himself set it up"

As usual, typical of most of our bloggers anything not in their favour, they wouldn't post.My comment was rejected by Anwar Ibrahim.

I think the question I asked is pertinent.Why the objection to post it, I just couldn't understand.

I still couldn't figure out how this stupid man couldn't sense someone was taping his conversation only a few feet away from him.

Is this man so powerful, to be able to arrange the promotion of judges and award of Tan Sri to judges of his choice ? Was the recording made to prove to his friends and clients how influential and powerful he was, pretending as if someone had illegally taped his conversation and let that someone show it to the people he wanted to impress ? If the tape was made in 2002, why wasn't it released earlier or during the last election ? Why it took the guy who made it almost five years to see the value it would give the opposition to gain political mileage.The police must investigate the case from all angles.

I wouldn't doubt there are some dishonest judges in this country. Some judges may not be as sober (not alcohol, integrity) as they should be.The judiciary is the last bastion of justice, the failure of which, would take this country down the road to anarchy.

If the conversation was real and the tape was authentic, than this country is in deep trouble.

I am usually too emotional to write about such thing, but this time, I 'll make it an exception as I am just too angry to be able to stomach it. Such heinous crime inflicted on an innocent child.A senseless killing that can only come for a psychopathic killer, a person who had completely lost touch with reality. This mad predator must be apprehended quickly before he found his next victim. The police mustn't leave any stone unturned to solve this most despicable crime

Such gruesome crime makes you want to hunt down the killer yourself and take the law into your own hand. This is not to incite anyone to do so, but that just how I felt at this very moment. An unripe little girl sexually molested and killed in the most heinous way. Than you have some sickos calling the parents and making fun of the whole thing. What is happening to our society, are these people the products of bad upbringing or are they what we called in plain language, 'born bad'.

Both nature and nurture had a bearing on how a person eventually fits with the rest of the world. Those unable to cope would eventually become misfits of society.

My heartfelt condolence to the family of Nurin and may God bless her soul.

The IGP should have been a bit more compassionate and sensitive to the family's grief and should have waited a little bit longer before making such statement.Those who have not lost their loved ones wouldn't know the grief and suffering of those that have.

The search for Madeleine is still on.Read how she disappeared as told by her father.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

You said "We shall bring to the Iraqi people food, medicine, supplies and freedom". At what price, Mr Bush?

You have only brought death, destruction, hunger and atrocities to the Iraqi people.You have robbed them of their freedom. You have trampled on the Geneva Convention and broke the rules of war. You are the most careless, corrupt, uncaring, belligerent and dangerous President ever elected by the American people. You have cheated the American people and failed your nation as the epitome of freedom.

You have brought total anarchy to Iraq and untold suffering and miseries to the Iraqi people.Out of your parochialism, ignorance and vacuousness, you have made the world a very unsafe place to live in.You have stirred the hornet's nest. You have created a new wave of global terror. You do not have your own mind and are easily influence by others with iniquitous motive, especially, your Deputy, Dick Cheney who is a pathological liar, corrupt and a greedy man, whose only concern is himself, his business empire and the preservation of Israel.

The inimical Cheney, a stooge of Israel, lied to you when he tried to tie up the hijackers with Iraq, by a concocted story, that one of the hijackers, MohammedAtta, had met in Prague, in the Czech Republic with senior Iraqi intelligence agent few months before 9/11.Despite the fact that the CIA and FBI confirmed the story to be untrue, you chose to believe Cheney, who had a motive and vested interest to see the invasion of Iraq become a reality. You hold the highest office on this planet but are intellectually deficient.

The Cheney's lie had triggered the invasion of Iraq. He had used you to bully poorer and defenceless nations.You have killed and maimed countless innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistion. Are they not human lives too ? How many more innocent people you would want to kill before the bloodshed ends.

You have created another Vietnam in Iraq and Afghanistan. You have pitted the Shias against the Sunnis and let them slaughter each other without any remorse on your part.You have created a monster which you can't control. You said you have won the war against terrorism, why then are innocent Iraqis dying in the streets of Baghdad every day? Why have you built a fortress for your Embassy in Baghdad if you have won the war and Iraq is a safe place. You have accorded your own people the protection and supplies of all the luxuries of life in a formidable castle while poor Iraqis live without proper supply of water and electricity and living in constant fear of getting kill by terrorists or American bullets and bombs.

You have squandered the integrity of your office and the nation by awarding multi-billion dollars projects to Halliburton, a company controlled by Cheney and to other American companies to do what rightly don't belong to the American people.You have coveted what didn't belong to you.You have robbed the Iraqis of not only their freedom but also their natural resources.

Believe me, you can't win these wars.You can't fight the peoples resolute to be free. Your enemy are not their guns and bombs, it's their culture and their resolve.Shouldn't Vietnam be a reminder of one of the most disastrous of America's military adventures

"The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war.Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin.But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists" Earnest Hemingway

You are a danger to America and the rest of the world.The American Congress should have impeached you and they should before you start another war.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Tun Mahathir had his second heart bypass a week ago, eighteen years after his first. Not many man of his age could physically and emotionally be strong enough to go through such operation without fear of complications.The doctor operating him proclaimed him an octogenarian in a sexagenarian body. A man endowed with good physical and mental health that can only come from someone who leads a disciplined lifestyle.A close friend once joked and told me "Mahathir refuses to die before he sees Badawi out of office".

The day he was sacked from UMNO by the the late Tungku Abdul Rahman and his controversial book, the 'Malay Dilemma', which the Tungku took as an insult to the Malay race, was actually a book of self-examination and self-criticism... where and why the Malays have gone wrong and how to correct the social imbalance with other races in the country. He hasn't stopped trying ever since.

Mahathir, probably didn't realize that he has gone against the natural flow of Malay culture. The culture of subservience. An 'adat' of not questioning the elders, no matter how wrong they were. Such 'adat' exists, not only in the Malay culture, but in many other Asian culture.

During his tenure as Prime Minister he was probably the most misunderstood man. He has become an enigma to his own people.During his twenty two years in power he was also not short of controversies.He has thrown in prison opposition leaders, politicians to professionals and anyone whom he perceived as subversive element endangering security of the nation.Many Malaysians took this as an unpleasant behaviour of a dictator.As those who read Shakepeares would remember what Brutus told the people of Rome "Not that I loved Ceaser less, but that I loved Rome more." Mahathir has the notion. He is prepared to sacrifice your personal liberty if he thinks you are a risk to the bigger number.

Any deviant Islamist movement that posed threats to national security would be nipped in the butt during his time.On hind sight, we may have to thank him for his foresight and prompt action to arrest those deviant groups before they become too influential and irretrievably entrenched in the Muslim community. Malaysia, so far had been spared from terrorist's attacks. Al-Qaeida had not been able to make any foothold here. The Philippines and Indonesia weren't as lucky.Pakistan, a country with strong Islamist movement is now becoming a hot bed for terrorism and a potential candidate of a failed state. Civil disobedience and suicide bombing are growing with each passing day.

On the 19th November 1985, a chartered MAS Airbus full of government officials, politicians and Malaysian businessmen was on it way to Beijing, China. Also on board was Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.It was a trade mission and the first visit by a Malaysian Prime Minister to China.I was one of the passengers on that aircraft.

Two hours out of Kuala Lumpur we received a terrible news about a massacre in Memali.The initial report was sketchy and gave heavy casualties on both sides. A much clearer picture emerged when we arrived Beijing.The toll was 14 Islamists dead, 4 policemen killed and an unknown number injured.

Mahathir, by the stroke of good luck escaped the tragic moment and the eventual blame. Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam has to carry the burden for the tragic loss of lives and was accused of gross negligence and mishandling of the crisis. Incidentally, the leader of the group, Ibrahim Mahmud, also known as Ibrahim Libya used to worked as a prosecutor in the Religious division of the Prime Minister's Department.A graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo he pursued further religious courses in India and Libya. He must have picked up the extreme version of Islam while in Libya. He was also an active member of PAS.

Another dark chapter in the nation's political history was the Sabah state elections in 1985 where PBS, an opposition party in the state won the elections with a simple majority. A power grab ensued,engineered by sore losers in Berjaya. Having won only 6 seats the dawn raiders used Tun Mustapha of USNO which won 16 seats giving them a coalition of only 22 seats to justify Mustapha to be sworn in as Chief Minister. The rightful candidate Joseph Pairin whose party garnered 26 seats was barred from entering the Istana for swearing in as the rightful chief minister.

By a stroke of good luck, Mahathir was again outside the country.It fell on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Musa Hitam to deal with the crisis. With a clear conscience and respect for democracy Musa averted an international outcry by advising the Yang Dipertuan Negeri to swear in Joseph Pairin. Mustapha, who has been sworn in earlier took the case to court but lost.After 11 months in office, PBS decided to call a fresh election and won with a bigger majority, collecting 34 out of 48 state seats.

Mahathir, certainly has not been free from faults. The rotation system for the Chief Minister of Sabah was a bad political decision.The system had put back the development of the state significantly behind other states in Malaysia due to break in continuity of a stable administration.If not for his high-handed ways people like Yong Tet Lee, Bernard Dompok and Chong Kah Kiat would never had a chance to be Chief Minister.

The constant bickering amongst the Sabah leaders and their selfishness were probably the reasons for the unconstitutional decision. I wouldn't completely blame Mahathir for it, he probably saw it as a suitable solution to the Sabahan problems.It's the greedy Sabah leaders who should take much of the blame. Even now, they are still harping on the issue of rotation. More ridiculous, there are people in Sabah UMNO who think the seat should be rotated amongst UMNO state leaders, a kind of Sabah UMNO musical chair.

Whatever wrongs he has done during his tenure as Prime Minister, he has done more for the good of the nation.The accelerated development of Malaysia from a tropical backwater into a modern nation was due to his visions and efforts. The whole GDP outlook changed during his time, from an agricultural based economy to multi-sector economy. Great emphasis was given in infrastructural developments. Major development of highways, ports, airports and other infrastructures were given priority.

The Penang Bridge at one time condemned and criticised by the oppositions as a megalomania and wasteful project has now reached maximum capacity. A second bridge is now needed to ease traffic congestion. Some of his seemingly grandiose projects, the butt of jokes and unfair criticism, are now the pride of the nation.

In 1982, when he took over office of Prime Minister, the Malaysia's GDP(at official exchange rate) was US$26.79 billion.In 2006, the GDP was US$138 billion.Much of the momentum for growth was set during his time.

In the early eighties, travel time by car from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore would take six hours or more.A nightmarish drive behind endless convoy of slow moving trucks and cars with little space for overtaking. A depressingly tense journey.Overtaking another vehicle is a risky business and a gamble with your life. Now, with the new highways, Singapore is just a stone's throw away from KL, a drive of less than 3 hours. When he first announced a toll system for the highways there were huge uproar from the opposition political parties and general public.Would anyone complain now that the new highways have cut down their travelling time and safer than before? Yes, they do.Malaysians want everything free.

Mahathir, is a man who learned a lot from observations.Things he sees on his visits to other countries which he thinks benefical to Malaysia would be introduced. His never ending search to pull the country out of the rut and on to the world stage have been met with scepticism, not only at home but also from the international community, particularly the West, whom were not exactly friendly with him.

Mahathir is a man of true grit. He will do what he had to do.No amount of criticism can discourage or stop him.

This man had a burning desire to rehabilitate the Malays.He had diagnosed the problem and believed he has the right prescription. He wanted them to excel in every fields particularly in commerce and industry.He wanted them to be good businessmen and leaders of industry. He wanted to build up the number of wealthy Malays in the hope that they would one day be the biggest contributor to the Malaysian economy and would then help other Malays to climb the corporate ladder. Many government owned companies were privatised to selected Malays whom he believed to have entrepreneurship qualities.He wanted them to be respected by their non-Malay peers.Unfortunately, many of those he helped had disappointed him. Good companies given on the platter were eventually wrecked by mismanagement, incompetence, greed and selfishness. MAS was one of his biggest mistakes. Others, like Pewaja, UEM and many others have incurred huge losses due to mismanagement and corruptions.

Towards the end his fifth term in office, Mahathir had become very unpopular with his own people. The very people he tried very hard to help to change their mindset and progress with the time.The Malays have no more room for him.They have had enough of his domineering ways and often insulting remarks about his kinships. They wanted him out but nobody has the balls to tell him. Nobody knew how much support he stills has.Many complained that he had become a liability to the party but none dare tell him in his face.

On June 22, 2002, Mahathir dropped the biggest bombshell and made a big sacrifice by announcing his resignation as prime minister at the 56th UMNO General Assembly. The delegates were caught by surprise and were in shocking disbelief as there wasn't even a whimper of what they just heard.There was chaos on the floor as delegates tried to make sense of what they just heard.

Sobbing Mahathir was quickly surrounded by senior UMNO officials. The first to reach him were Rafidah Aziz and Hishammudin Onn, pleading and sobbing that he reconsiders his decision. Abdullah Badawi, his deputy requested the delegates to reject his resignation. Mahathir was shunted out of the hall to a closed door meeting. Behind closed doors deals were worked out.

The 'sandiwara' ended with slight deferment to the date of his stepping down. It was later announced that Mahathir will stay on until October 2003 after hosting the OIC Summit.

Mahathir finally stepped down in October 2003 and was replaced by his anointed successor, Abdullah Badawi. Within less than two years the two men have drifted apart.Mahathir continually attacked Badawi for having reneged on his promises.

Mahathir, once the most powerful man in the country, revered and feared by some, hated and feared by some, had become a thorn in the flesh of Abdullah and members his cabinet.The very same people who kissed his hand when he was the giver and the Prime Minister. Mahathir lamented "Melayu senang lupa"(Malays easily forget)

Mahathir didn't have to resign.With his good health he could still carry on for at least another term or two.

Without the slightest doubt, the man resigned to save UMNO from the humiliation of not doing well at the poll because of him. A good leader knew when his tenancy has expired, the one who didn't tend to overstay.

Abdullah's government is now fighting an uphill battle to keep its creditability.The recent exposure by the the Auditor-General of massive mismanagement and corruptions in a number of Ministries and the costly bail-out of the PKFZ would have serious repercussions on the BN in future general elections.

Friday, September 14, 2007

HANTU LAUT

I’ve nothing to hide, says Hishammuddin

This is the problem with our politicians, when misdeeds and corruption were exposed in their Ministry, they pretended not to know. How could a Minister allow his Secretary-General to approve contracts worth a whooping RM450 million with complete disregard of his fiduciary duties. The massive overpricing of equipments supplied to the government were clear indication of massive corruption. This was the result of the so-called social contract and the NEP for the Malays, demanded by him, during the last UMNO assembly.

What's the point of saying "It should be investigated.What's wrong is wrong.Action has to be taken against wrongdoers,including me if I have done wrong". If the Minister had any sense of shame, he should resign his position immediately, for dereliction of duty. The Prime Minister of Japan resigned a few days ago for the very same reason.

Never in the history of this country, a Minister ever resigned for dereliction of duty. Don't we have anymore moral obligations and responsibility toward the nation and the future generations ?

The Auditor-General report includes the Youth and Sports Ministry paying RM224 for a set of RM40 screwdrivers, RM5,700 for a RM50 car jack, and RM1,146 for a RM160 pen set; the police air wing spending RM118mil for two helicopters that did not meet flying specifications and another RM15.4mil to train pilots to fly these helicopters, and; the Customs Department spending RM290mil for an outdated, user-unfriendly information system.

Abdullah said the ministers whose ministries have been implicated have already assigned officers to look into the matter and prepare clarification statements.

Do you honestly think that's the right thing to do, asking the officers from the same Ministry to investigate.Shouldn't the Minister concerned call the ACA immediately to conduct investigation, before evidence could be removed or tempered with.

Would the PM and ACA doubted whether any of the transactions and projects involved corruption? With prices paid ranging from 300 to almost 1000% higher than retail prices, who ever agreed to the deal must be either extremely greedy or absolutely stupid.

Let's wait for the report and if there were no corruption, the PM and the whole Cabinet should resign, for being taken for a ride by unscrupulous businessmen, which in another word means the whole lot of them are stupid and not worthy of the people's trust.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Islam's Up-to-Date Televangelist

Amr Khaled Has Bridged the Religious and Secular With His Feel-Good Message

The rhythmic clapping began the minute Amr Khaled stepped through the door of the packed Crystal City ballroom. Surrounded by security guards, the Egyptian preacher had to weave his way through the crowd -- men both cleanshaven and bearded, women both fashionably coifed and dressed in conservative Islamic dress -- that had come from up and down the East Coast to hear him. Two massive screens projected his image to those in the back.

"My goal is that you leave happy," Khaled began softly, once he finally got to the lectern. "My goal is to fulfill the hadith of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that says, 'Whoever puts joy in the hearts of the believers, his reward is not less than Paradise.' " The crowd ate it up. For the next 90 minutes, they laughed at his witticisms, smiled at his stories, nodded at his exhortations and clapped again -- spontaneously and often. But most of all, they listened intently.

The rock-star preacher in the designer suit, often called "the anti-bin Laden," had arrived in America with his new brand of upbeat, feel-good Islam.

For American Muslims beset by the tensions of the post-9/11 world, Khaled came to address a deep crisis of confidence. He tried to bridge the gap between conflicting allegiances, notably their U.S. citizenship and their fury at U.S. policy in Iraq and other Muslim countries.Read on.......

Monday, September 10, 2007

HANTU LAUTOn the 11th of Sept 2001, exactly at 8.46 am, the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York.A janitor, William Rodriguez while on Level B 1 heard a massive explosion below probably on Level B2-3. He says " The floor vibrated. We were all thrown upwards, than everyone in the office started screaming. Then, seconds later, there was another explosion way above, which made the building sway from side to side.And this, we later discovered, was the first plane hitting the North Tower on the 90th floor."

A man than runs into the office shouting "Explosion! Explosion!" .The man, Felipe David, had been standing in front of a nearby lift when a fireball burst from the lift shaft, severely burning him.Rodriguez later asked "Now you tell me how an explosion from a jetliner could have burnt a man 90 floors down within seconds of impact?"

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) suggested that the basement explosion Rodriguez heard might have been caused by a fireball traveling from the aircraft down the central lift shaft. However, some time after hearing it, Rodriguez rescues two people trapped in a lift. He will therefore doubt NIST’s claim, saying that if it were true, “Why were the two people [I] rescued from the lift not burnt to death?” Rodriguez also claims to have witnessed alleged hijacker Mohand Alshehri in the World Trade Center in June 2001.

At about 9.03 a.m. the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the 77th floor of the South Tower.Millions throughout the world watched the crash live on television.

Numerous witnesses to the collapse of the south WTC tower think it resembles a controlled demolition using explosives.Reporter John Bussey watches the collapse from the Wall Street Journal’s offices across the street from the WTC. He says, “I… looked up out of the office window to see what seemed like perfectly synchronized explosions coming from each floor, spewing glass and metal outward. One after the other, from top to bottom, with a fraction of a second between, the floors blew to pieces.

Assistant Fire Commissioner Stephen Gregory: “I saw low-level flashes. In my conversation with Lieutenant Evangelista… he questioned me and asked me if I saw low-level flashes in front of the building, and I agreed with him… I saw a flash flash flash and then it looked like the building came down.… You know like when they demolish a building, how when they blow up a building, when it falls down? That’s what I thought I saw.”

In the lobby of Building 7 of the WTC, EMS Division Chief John Peruggia is in discussion with Fire Department Captain Richard Rotanz and a representative from the Department of Buildings. As Peruggia later describes, “It was brought to my attention, it was believed that the structural damage that was suffered to the [Twin] Towers was quite significant and they were very confident that the building’s stability was compromised and they felt that the North Tower was in danger of a near imminent collapse.” Peruggia grabs EMT Richard Zarrillo and tells him to pass on the message “that the buildings have been compromised, we need to evacuate, they’re going to collapse.” Zarrillo heads out to the fire command post, situated in front of 3 World Financial, the American Express Building, where he relays this message to several senior firefighters. He says, “OEM says the buildings are going to collapse; we need to get out.” (OEM is the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, which has its headquarters in WTC 7.) Fire Chief Pete Ganci’s response is, “who the f___ told you that?” Seconds later, they hear the noise of the South Tower as it collapses.

Many witnesses heard explosion just before the tower collapses. Many are still puzzled with what they heard and the way the building collapsed.

Most of the suspected terrorists were Saudi nationals and funded by Saudi money.There are many questions left unanswered, which George Bush was not at all interested to pursue.

After almost six years the American, with the most sophisticated surveillance equipment and technology, have not found or killed Osama. He was alleged to be the mastermind of the plot. Could he also be part of the conspiracy ?

Was the Gulf War an American/Saudi conspiracy to get rid of Saddam Hussein by allowing him to invade Kuwait. The Saudis see Saddam as a growing threat to their security.After the end of the Iraq/Iran war, Saddam growing ambition to expand his territory makes Saudi Arabia looks like an easy picking. The Saudis didn't have the military capacity to defend themselves in the event of an invasion from its northern neighbour.To dismantle Saddam and his war machines, the Saudis needed external help.The only one who can provide them with such assistance was America. The Gulf War failed to removed Saddam. The Saudis and American badly needed another plot.

Would 9/11 be too far-fetched to be a Saudi and American plot?

Will Osama strikes again ? Hope not.If he does, he is doing great injustice to the Muslim world community.

Friday, September 7, 2007

HANTU LAUTWhen Abraham's two sons went on their separate ways, he wouldn't have known, that his sons and descendants would, one day, brought to this world, three of the greatest religions and also brought the greatest human conflicts and tragedies. Jews,Christians and Muslims have been at loggerheads for over a millennium. Tragic consequences of religious intolerance resulting in religiously motivated violence, mass murder and genocide.

The three faiths share a common heritage.All three religions worship one god.Judaism and Islam originated amongst the Jews and Arabs, while Christianity came from Judaism.The youngest, which most Muslims wouldn't agree is Islam. Mohammad, the Messenger of God, the last prophet according to Islam, founded the religion around the year 610 A.D when he received his first revelation.The Koran accepted all previous prophets before Muhammad as the prophets of Islam and accepted Jews and Christians as part of the Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book).

Islam demands that Muslims treat Jews, Christians and non-Muslims as dhimmis, protected citizens who has certain rights.In some places and times, Muslims treated non-Muslims with great tolerance;in other places and times, non-Muslims were treated as enemies and persecuted. Likewise, Christians and Jews had their fair shares of unjust treatment of Muslims.

In the Hebrew Bible (old Testament).....violence is easily the most often mentioned subject.There are about 100 passages in it where God expressly commands others to kill people.Four of this events in the Jewish Scriptures would probably qualify as genocide under most current definition of the term.

They were;

1.The worldwide flood of Noah as mentioned in Genesis ,Chapter 6 to 8.It almost completely wipe out the human race with the exception of Noah,his wife and sons and their wives.This is God's violent rage.

2.The 'Passover' described in Exodus, Chapter 11 and 12.All the first born of all Egypt were to be slaughtered.

3.The conquest of Canaan in which God ordered the Hebrews to completely exterminate the Canaanite people....from the elderly to the new born and fetuses.Described in the Book of Joshua.

4.The near extermination of the entire tribe of Benjamin by the remaining 11 tribes, triggered by the serial rape and murder of a priest's concubine by a few Benjaminite.Described in the Book of Judges, Chapter 20.

Why have three religions sharing the same roots drifted so far apart and caught in perennial conflicts, atrocities and wars.Were they due to religion or were they the results of political and ethnic conflicts, the selfishness and greed of powerful men and nations, the desire for greater hegemony and enslavement of others and to exert total control of the weak and poor nations ?

The Islamic Golden Age spanned from the middle of the 8th century to the middle of the 13th century.Scientific and intellectual achievements blossomed during that time.Scholars and engineers from the Islamic world contributed enormously to the arts, literature, philosophy, sciences and technology.Religious freedom created cross cultural network attracting Muslims, Christians and Jewish intellectuals.During the Umayyad Caliphate rule of Southern Spain, the city of Cordoba was one of the largest cities in the world, a great cultural, political and economic centre and had the highest standard of living and quality of live in the whole of Europe.It has many splendid buildings and artistic architecture.The Mezquita, a mosque built during the Umayyad period is now a World Heritage Site.This civilisation precipitated the birth of the European Renaissance.

The Jews has a long history of persecution, from the days of the Pharaohs to the end of the 2nd World War. History has shown that it wasn't the Muslims that inflicted systematic persecution of Jews.The Christians had much longer history of systematic and atrocious persecution of the Jewish people.Many genocides and ethnic cleansing were inflicted on the Jews by Christians, over the past few centuries in Europe.

Below are some of the list of Jewish persecution for almost two millennium.

70.AD: The massacre of 1,100,000 Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans to quell Jewish rebellion.

132-135: The Bar Kocha rebellion.Death of 500,000 Jews, thousand taken into slavery.

315: 'Constantine the Great' established 'Christianity' as a state religion throughout the Roman Empire and issued many anti-Jewish law.

613: Persecution of Jews in Spain.All Jews who refused to be baptized were kicked out of Spain.Those who stayed were taken as slaves.All Jewish children 7 years and over were taken and given Christian education.

1181: French King Philip banished the Jews from his domain .All immovable assets such as land and houses reverted to the king.

1189:Richard the 'Lionhearted' unexpectedly persecuted the Jews.Most Jewish houses in London were burned and many Jews killed.All possessions of the Jews were claimed by the Crown.Richard's successor alone, relieved the Jews of more than 8 million marks.

1290: Edward I banished the Jews from England.16,000 Jews left the country.

1298: Persecution of Jews in Franconia,Bavaria and Austria.Nobleman Kalbfleish alleged he had received a divine order to destroy all Jews .More than 100,000 Jews were mercilessly killed.

1306: King Philip the Fair banished Jews from France, 100,000 Jews left the country.

1321: Jews were accused of having incited outlaws to poison wells and fountains in France.5000 Jews were burned at the stake.

1497:Jews banished from Spain.300,000 Jews left Spain penniless.Many migrated to Muslim country, Turkey,where they found tolerance and a welcome.

1846-78: All former restrictions against Jews in the Vatican were re-inforced by Pope Pius IX.

1903: Renewed restrictions and pogroms of Jews in Russia.

1933: Commencement of persecution of Jews by Hitler's Germany.Systematic destruction of 6 million Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.

I will not list the Muslims persecution of Jews as they were pale compared to that of the Christians.In term of numbers, Christians have killed more Jews than the Muslims.

Why are the Jews persecuted ? Have they asked themselves where they have gone wrong to deserve such treatment? Are they so bad that others wanted to hurt them? Even Shakespeare didn't have kind words for the Jews. In 'Merchant of Venice' , a story about the fundamentals of morality, Shylock, a Jewish moneylender was portrayed as an evil man, selfish, ruthless and heartless . In his play 'Macbeth' , one of the many ingredients used by the three witches for the' witches brew' was 'the liver of a blaspheming Jew'.There was great deal of prejudice towards Jews in Shakespeare's time because Jews do not believe in Christ.

In the Umayyad kingdom of Al-Andalusa, the Caliph of Cordoba, Abd-ar-Rahman instructed his successor son, Hisham, and his government officials on the importance of tolerance towards all of his subject, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

"Remember, my son, these are God's kingdoms, God who gives and take away at leisure...Be just to all men, equally to the poor and the rich, for injustice is the road to ruin;at the same time be gentle and merciful with those who are dependant on you, for they are all creatures of God.Trust the government of the provinces to wise, experienced men and punish without pity those ministers who oppress the people" Abd-ar-Rahman, Caliph of Cordoba

The fair and just rule in Al-Andalusa came to an end with the Reconquista (reconquest) by the Christians that led to the Spanish Inquisition culminating in 1492.Jews and Muslims were expelled from the country, forcefully converted to Christianity, become slaves or be killed.The persecution of Jews and Muslims lasted almost 500 years before Spain gradually adopted tolerance and openness to other religions.

Today, Jews and Christians have joined forces against Islam. The war in Iraq, Afghanistan and the bombing of Lebanon are glaring example of Judeo-Christian alliance.This is an alliance of the power of money. An alliance for global dominance.A war of attrition against weak Islamic nations under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

In 1982 at Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugees camp in Lebanon the Jews used Phalangists Christian Militia to massacre and killed 3500 innocent Palestinian children, women and men that took refuge in the country. In the West Bank and other Occupied Territories, Palestinians homes were demolished or bombed, killing innocent civilians.The Occupied Territories remained occupied because America and the West support and protect Israel for the occupation and atrocities against the unarmed and defenceless Palestinians.

Terrorism came into existence in the Middle East due to the pro-Israel policy of the United States and Western European nations, which was further aggravated by the uncompromising stand taken by Israel toward the Palestinian issue. Different groups of Islamist decided to take the law into their own hands and form terror groups, as they couldn't get justice from powerful nations that control the politics and faith of other poor and weaker nations. Undeniably, America was the reason for the birth of terrorism. The powerful Jewish lobby and the immense wealth they control have greatly influenced America's policy in the Middle East. The Jewish Diasporas probably control greater wealth then those of all the OIC countries put together. The continuing injustice and atrocities against the Palestinians launched the birth of global terrorism, which has strong following in many Muslim nations.

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were the biggest mistake made by the American administration. These unjustifiable wars had riled up the Islamists to seek further revenge.

Has Bush, the moron in the White House, got legs to stand on to defend himself on the number of people he had killed in the wars on terror.His parochial and myopic views of the outside world, other religion and culture had made him an irrationally dangerous man.His foreign policies are kindergarten stuff, in dire need of civilised behaviour.He kept saying he has won the war on terror.Has he ? Then why are innocent Iraqi civilians dying in the streets of Baghdad every day.Why built a huge fortress in the centre of Baghdad for his diplomatic mission if he truly believes he has won the war and Iraq is safe. He protects his own citizens and accorded them all the luxuries of life in a war zone sheltered inside an armoured fortress while outside Iraqis get killed by terrorists or American bombs and guns. Indubitably, George Bush is a god-fearing Christian. He is a man of the Bible and truly believes in 'an eye for an eye'.

Isn't his killing machines more efficient than those of the terrorists ? How many more people he would like to kill, to avenge those killed at the World Trade Centre in New York before he stops.It was estimated, at least, 500,000 Iraqis have been killed since the Gulf War started. He has made a mockery of the meaning of the word 'freedom'.Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners are detained without trial and stripped of their civil liberties broke all the rules of the Law of Protection of Human Rights.He cheated his American people and failed his nation as the epitome of freedom.

Should Bush, Blair and Howard be called Christian terrorists? Don't you think they deserve the name and more, as war criminals ?

The violence done by Muslims all over the world had nothing to do with Islam. They are the products of imams, mullahs and other so-called Muslims experts who are utterly confused and conveniently misinterpreted the religion to serve their own purpose.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Sometimes, it makes you wonder why are we here ? If it's not for the contemptuous act of the temptress, Eve and the foolishness of Adam, we would all still be in paradise, the Garden of Eden, away from all our worldly troubles.That's, if you believe in any of the Abrahamic religions.

Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet, philosopher and mathematician wrote in his famous ruba'iyat:

"Although I have a handsome face and colour,Cheek like the tulips, form like the cypress,It is not clear why the Eternal Painter,Thus tricked me out for the dusty show-booth of earth.

He began my creation with constraint,By giving me life he added only confusion,We depart reluctantly still not knowing,The aim of birth, existence, departure.

Heaven's wheel gained nothing from my coming,Nor did my going augment its dignity,Nor did my ears hear from anyoneWhy I had to come and why I went"

This question has plagued and challenged mankind for generations.The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe we are God's creation.Are we willing to accept the Scriptures as the truth and stop the search of our origin ?

On the other hand, the Theory of Evolution believes we are created from non-life, a complex transformation over time with beneficial mutation passed on to the next generation.The beneficial genetic mutations produce a different organism, an entirely different creature.Charles Darwin's theory of 'natural selection' has given plausible mechanism to the theory of evolution. It's a kind of 'survival of the fittest'. The inferior members of the same species would gradually died out, leaving only the superior members to survive.

Both, religion and evolution aspects of the beginning of mankind have remained as theories and perpetual mysteries.Both have not been able to provide conclusive evidence to support its tenet. In any religious belief, if you are a believer, than the existence of God become unquestionable.

In Darwin's theory of 'natural selection' the slight successive variations cannot take a great and sudden leap, but advance by short, sure and slow steps, therefore, no single or even multiple and successive generations can observe or witness the 'descend' into a new creature.The process could take millions of years. The theory remains at best a theory.

Would the day come when human can be created without the seeds and the womb? Can genetic engineering and stem cell one day produce our future generations in a laboratory? Would God be obsolete by then ?